The New York Yankees need to add a starting pitcher to their roster because of the injuries to players like Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt. These injuries leave a lot of question marks in New York.
As a result, the Yankees have been mixed into trade rumors for pitchers like Sandy Alcántara, Freddy Peralta, and Hunter Greene.
Greene seems unlikely to be moved, but a trade for Peralta or Alcántara could work. Either way, SportsGrid’s Paul Connor predicted the Yankees would sign international star Tatsuya Imai to a deal this winter. Jim Bowden of The Athletic projected Imai would sign for $154 million this offseason.
“Dominant NPB starter with a 1.92 ERA, 10-5 record, and 178 K in 163.2 IP during 2025 breakout; 27.8% strikeout rate well above league average, plus a combined no-hitter; frontline upside, but MLB adjustment and past control issues pose risks,” Connor wrote.
The Yankees have been closely linked to Imai for weeks. He would fit perfectly in the Bronx, especially considering how vocal he’s been about his desire to beat the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Adding Imai would give the Yankees some much-needed security in the starting rotation while Cole and Schmidt continue to work back from injuries. Cole is expected back in the near future, but it’s very hard to know if he will be the same level of pitcher he was before the injury. Adding Imai would help relieve the stress if Cole doesn’t bounce back.
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